Gabe's Song
by Andrea Christine
Summary: Kerry visits her mentor, Dr. Gabe Lawrence, as he is in his final stages of Alzheimers'. The power of music is displayed as they share a song Gabe loved as a young man.


Gabe's Song  
By Christine  
  
  
Author's Note: The ER characters do not belong to me, nor does the song mentioned in this story. It was written by Frank and Dorothy Daniels, copyright 1953, recorded by June Christy on Capitol Records. It is the perfect song to demonstrate the power of music in our lives. I hope you enjoy the story.  
  
  
Kerry Weaver trudged through the snow on a cold January morning. It was horrible to admit, but she almost dreaded the day's visit with her former teacher and mentor, Dr. Gabe Lawrence. His Alzheimers' had progressed to the final stages, despite the experimental drugs and advances in treatment. How ironic it was that Gabe, a brilliant physician, had run out of time to reap the benefits of his own profession's work.  
Kerry remembered the painful conversation they'd had a couple of years ago, when Gave had first revealed his condition to his former student.   
"No one will come to visit me," Gabe had said, sadness permeating his face and voice.   
"I'll come visit you," Kerry promised between sobs.   
Those sad eyes looked at her tenderly as her mentor replied, "Yes, but I won't know you're there."  
And this is what it's come to, Kerry thought as she entered the nursing home. But she had to keep a brave front for Gabe's sake, if not her own.  
"Dr. Weaver, hello," The nurse greeted Kerry as she took the familiar path to Gabe's room. "I'll go get the record player."  
Kerry nodded and took a deep breath as she entered Gabe's room. Despite her vast medical training, it was so hard to comprehend that the seemingly strong man who sat in the bed before her had a mind that no longer connected with the rest of the world. She said hello and took a seat in the chair beside the bed. The nurse arrived shortly after, portable record player in tow. Kerry took a 45-rpm record from her briefcase and put it on the turntable. The corners of Gabe's mouth formed a slight smile as music filled the room, a happy tune from the early 1950's. His smile widened as he looked directly at Kerry for the first time since she had arrived. "Heart," he said happily.  
Yes, thought Kerry, and mine is breaking. Knowing he would ask to hear the song again if he were able, she replaced the needle at the beginning of the record. Her thoughts drifted back to the first time Gabe had made mention of his favorite song.  
  
* * *  
  
It was not long after Gabe had moved into the nursing home that Kerry began her at least weekly visits. While he had declined enough to require more care, Gabe's communication was still sharp enough to allow them to enjoy lively conversations. They discussed, of course, medicine and everything about the days when Kerry was his star pupil in medical school.   
"Yes, you always were so inquisitive!" Gabe would tell her. "But it certainly paid off. Look at you, Chief of Emergency Medicine. I'm so proud of you, Kerry."  
"Thanks, Gabe," Kerry replied, blushing from head to toe.  
"So how are you treating that new husband of yours?" her mentor asked with a wink and a smile.  
"John's great," she said, smiling at the very thought of him. Unlikely though it seemed to the majority of their co-workers, Kerry and John Carter had started to see each other a few month's after Carter's return from rehab. Their friendship had quickly blossomed into romance, culminating in marriage within the year.  
"Surely you and he must have a special song," Gabe continued. "I'll never forget, with each of my wives, there was always a song that could bring to mind our first date or some such nostalgia. So do you have one?"  
Kerry thought it over. "I'm not sure there would only be one. John and I both love jazz."  
Gabe smiled. "Ah, yes, jazz. That brings up a whole other story!" His eyes began to gleam in the way they did when he was getting into the storytelling mood.  
Kerry settled back in her chair, forever eager to hear his stories. "Which is?" she asked happily.  
"My first favorite song!" Gabe declared enthusiastically. "It was in the early fifties, and I was fortunate enough to live on the West Coast, when this lovely singer named June Christy was performing in various small concert halls. I had tickets! She had a hit that year, called 'My Heart Belongs To Only You'. I was sure I was going to wear that record out, I played it so much. She had the most delightful voice. Strong yet beautiful. And she was such a nice person. I even got to meet her once. They said she was like a miniature version of the bandleader she'd travelled with during the war, equally serious about her music! She was this petite, charming woman with a heart full of fire and determination." Gabe smiled at the memory. "Not all unlike you."   
"Do you still have the record?" Kerry inquired.  
Gabe shook his head. "No, unforunately, I haven't been able to find it for years. Too many moves and all. At least I remember it. For now." A sudden sense of sadness fell over them as they both realized that this would not be true for long.  
"Maybe I could find it," Kerry offered.  
Gabe chuckled. "Only if you could find it in its original form, on a record. These compact discs are wonderful, but there is something about a real piece of vinyl and its sound that just can't be replicated."  
Kerry nodded, amused as she thought of the vast compact disc collection she and John possessed. An idea began to form in her mind, but it was best not to say anything until she had done some research.  
"So how was your visit with Dr. Lawrence?" John asked later that evening, over dinner. While Kerry had been calling Gabe by his first name for quite some time, John couldn't seem to break the habit of referring to him as Dr. Lawrence.  
"It was good," Kerry answered, her face giving away the sadness she harbored deep inside over Gabe's fate. "We ended up talking about music quite a bit. You don't know of any place to find a 45 in really good condition, do you? It would have to be an excellent copy, nothing scratchy."  
"I'm not sure," John replied. "I'll do some checking. What's it for?"  
"Gabe mentioned a record he used to have a long time ago. I'm sure he'd like to hear it, no, I know he needs to hear it again." Kerry's voice grew quiet.  
"I'll take care of it," John said simply.   
  
* * *  
  
Bless John's heart, Kerry thought as the song played for the second time. John had spared neither time nor effort to find an exceptional copy of the record. She remembered how pleased Gabe had been when she presented him with the record. They had enjoyed it together for several months before it seemed as if they were no longer in the same world.  
The pattern repeated itself over the winter and spring months. Kerry always brought the record when she visited and had the time to play it through at least three or four times before the nurse came in to try to feed Gabe his lunch.  
One morning in early summer, Kerry was sitting behind the admit desk, working on the weekly patient census forms when her beeper went off. Noting that it was Gabe's nursing home, she dashed to the telephone.  
"Sorry to bother you, Dr. Weaver," Gabe's nurse told her. "You'd better come over right away. I'm afraid he hasn't got much time left, and he's asking for you."  
"I'm on my way," Kerry said, leaving at once.  
The nurse was standing over Gabe's bed, monitoring his condition, when Kerry came in.  
"I'll leave now so you can have some time together," she said as she left the room.  
"Thank you," Kerry called over her shoulder. She didn't even try to blink back the tears that filled her eyes as she sat down next to his bed. There was no sign of life left in Gabe as he lay still and unresponsive.   
"Gabe, it's Kerry," she managed to tell him through her tears, "You asked for me, and I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."  
Silence was her only answer for what seemed like an eternity before Gabe finally opened his eyes and turned to look at Kerry. He opened his mouth to form one word: "Heart."  
"Oh, Gabe, I'm sorry," Kerry said in a voice more upbeat than she felt, "I don't have it with me. I left so quickly."  
Gabe shook his head and reached a hand toward Kerry. "No, you. You sing it. Sing heart... for me."  
The lump in Kerry's throat increased twofold in size as she realized what he was asking of her. She swallowed and nodded. "I'm no June Christy," she said, smiling sadly.  
"Heart," Gabe whispered.   
Kerry lowered her head and began to sing in a soft, clear voice. "My heart belongs to only you, I've never loved as I've loved you..."   
As she sang his favorite song, Kerry realized that she neither would nor could think of the song with sadness, as she had witnessed the inexpressible joy which he derived from it.  
"You are the song within my soul, a melody that can't grow old. I've known for long, my heart belongs to only you."  
Kerry could see the same expression of joy upon Gabe's face as he breathed his last. As his spirit moved beyond the realm of earth, Kerry's song transformed into the music of the angels.  
  
The End  
  
  
  
  



End file.
